On October 3, 1903, the Erie L. Hackley departed Menominee with nineteen people aboard, bound for Egg Harbor across the bay. About an hour later, a violent squall arose, whipping the waves to monstrous heights. Soon, great walls of water crashed onto the vessel, tearing the pilothouse and cabin from the hull. The waves swept the passengers and crew overboard, leaving a trail of people and debris floating in the seething waters as the Erie L. Hackley sank.

Several castaways managed to climb aboard the floating cabin. They remained there through the night, occasionally being swept into the raging seas. The following morning, they were spotted by the passenger steamer Sheboygan. The steamer's crew picked them up and found several others in the surrounding waters. They clothed and fed the survivors before transferring them to a passing fishing boat bound for Fish Creek.

Only eight of the nineteen people survived. Today, the Erie L. Hackley lives in 110 feet of water, two miles northeast of Green Island.

The marker is located adjacent to a parking lot at The Village of Egg Harbor Marina, on Dock Road, west of its intersection with Horseshoe Bay Road / County Highway G, Egg Harbor, Wisconsin 54209.

The shipwreck of Erie L. Hackley made headlines across the United States. See two articles below.

The 78-foor Erie L. Hackley was launched on August 11, 1882,
the Muskegon, Mich. The Erie L. Hackley spent her early years
carrying passengers and freight around the Muskegon area.

Erie L. Hackley
In 1898, she moved northward to carry mail and passengers
between Charlevoix and Beaver Island. To make her more
seaworthy on the open waters, the Erie L. Hackley was rebuilt
with high forward bulwarks and a raised pilothouse.

(NOTE: The content of the memorial and the newspaper article do not match!)

MARINETTE, Wis., Oct 4. - During a squall last night on Lake Michigan
the steamer Erie L. Hackley capsized and twelve persons were drowned.
The Goodrich line steamer Sheboygan rescued the other seven persons on
board the Hackley after they had drifted about on pieces of wreckage all
night. Reports of the disaster reached here to-day.

The Hackley was struck by the squall when seven miles off Green island.
The upper work was blown away before the men could reach a haven. The
boat then turned over and went down in deep water.

As the Hackley went to the bottom, those who would and could secure
them seized on floating pieces of wreckage, while the women and three or
four of the men, failing to find any object on which to cling, sank in
the raging sea, so far as known.

The waves were rolling high and several of those who at first saved
themselves from immediate death lost strength and sank. It was several
hours after the Hackley sank before the Sheboygan hove in hailing
distance. The souts of the floating men attracted the attention of the
sailors on the Sheboygan and every assistance was lent.

The roughness of the lake made the work of rescue slow, but the
officers of the Sheboygan feel sure that they took aboard every person
afloat. Some of the persons who were rescued say that it is possible
that one or more of the eleven persons missing may have escaped. This
view is not given much credence by the sailors of the Sheboygan.

The Sheboygan made into Fish Creek, when hope of rescuing other persons
seemed improbable. The rescued persons were so exhausted from their
struggle against drowning that they were unable for some time to tell
anything about the wreck.

The persons saved by the Sheboygan say that with the crashing away of
the upper deck all persons aboard the Hackley ran on deck. Hasty
preparations for a plunge into the water were begun, but before any
plans could be carried out the boat listed, turned over and went down
like a rock.

Search is still making for any person who may have escaped death and for the bodies of those who were drowned.

---

The Erie L. Hackley was a fifty-four-ton screw steamer which was built
at Muskegon, Mich., in 1882. The Hackley was owned in Fish Creek by
Captain Vories and other residents of that village. The steamer made a
trip every other day between Sturgeon bay and Washington Island, going
up one day and back the next.

---

STORY OF THE WRECK.

---

Purser's Description of Loss of the

Hackley--Captain's Heroism.

STURGEON BAY, WIS., Oct. 4. -- Purser Blakefield, one of the survivors
of the Hackley, who was on the steamer Sheboygan when it reached here,
gave a description of the wreck. He said:

"The squall struck us about 6 o'clock as we were just north of Green
island. It came suddenly and with terrific fury. I was in the pilot
house with the captain, who had just said that the elements looked
threatening and that he would try to run to port. When the first fierce
gust hit us the captain tried to throw the boat up into the wind but his
efforts to do so were unavailing. Then I joined him at the wheel but
our combined efforts were not sufficient to make her mind the helm.

"Then, of a sudden, the listed and began to dill with water. Realizing
that the passengers and crew were becoming panic stricken I left the
captain in the pilot house and ran aft to let down the lifeboat. By the
time I got aft the Hackley was filling so rapidly that it was apparent
it would be impossible to launch any boat. There came another fierce
blast and the upper works went by the board. Then the steamer began to
sink rapidly, and it was clear her settling on the bottom would be a
question of only a few moments.

"Eighteen of the nineteen people aboard were gathered on the deck, most
of them in a state of frantic panic. The situation was made
particularly heartrending by the women, who shouted hysterically,
imploring the men to save them and accompanied their appeals for
assistance with prayers. As the boat sank it was clear that there was
only one hope of any one being saved and that was by clinging to the
wreckage. I gave orders for the men to put the women on first. They did
so, and behaved well, every man remaining on the sinking boat until the
women had been placed on pieces of the cabin and other wreckage. It was
then a wild scramble on the part of each man to get such pieces of
planking as he could secure and cling to it.

"Every man found something to float on except the captain, who remained
in the pilot house to the last, doing his best to right the boat, and
he finally went down with her."

The foregoing content is in the public domain.
(NOTE: transcribed exactly as printed)

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Comments from Visitors

Thank you so much for visiting, documenting, photographing and sharing our historic markers! This is truly an honor and it is much appreciated. Jim SchuhChippewa County Historical Society

I just discovered your site and have been using it in my fourth grade summer school class in Viroqua, WI. We learned about Wisconsin throughout the year and are spending some time during summer school reading and talking about the history of Viroqua. We plan to take a walking trip to the Pioneer Cemetery and Lucy Stone marker. Thank you for all of your information!Kimberly (Brye) Cade

Hi, I really love your historic marker site a lot, I write a travel blog and I get pictures of these markers to assist in my writing about each town. I went to the Dean House in January for their monthly tour. Here is a link.

Very nice blog post. I certainly love this site. Keep it up!AnonymousThank you for posting this! I am Russ & Grace's grand-daughter & very happy they helped preserve this little slice of Soo Line history for future generations! Awesome website. Thanks for your work!Lillian Ferrall

Thanks for writing about your experiences! This is such a unique and wonderful way to share the history of our wonderful Wisconsin!tessalynn